AE 5491

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Plagiarism, Its Types 1

How to Avoid it

Dr. Muhammad Ajmal

Associate Professor, Agricultural Engineering Department
University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar

1
 What is Plagiarism?
⚫ The fraudulent misrepresentation any part of another person’s work as your
own

⚫ Can words and ideas really be stolen?

⚫ According to U.S. copyright law, the answer is yes

⚫ The expression of original ideas is considered intellectual property and is

protected by copyright laws, just like original inventions

⚫ Almost all forms of expression fall under copyright protection if they are
recorded in some way (such as a book, thesis, article, or a computer file)

http://lib-guides.letu.edu/plagiarism https://www.plagiarism.org/article/what-is-plagiarism 2
 Why Do Students Plagiarize?

https://infograph.venngage.com/p/135098/why-do-students-plagiarize 3
 Why Do Students Plagiarize?
⚫ Time Management Issues: Lack of time due to poor planning, procrastination, or
external commitments
⚫ Laziness: Insufficient effort or motivation to complete tasks
⚫ Lack of Research Skills: Inadequate fundamental skills, potentially leading to
unintentional plagiarism
⚫ Careless Research Methods: Failing to properly document sources or follow research
protocols
⚫ Fear of Inadequacy: Doubting academic abilities, leading to reliance on others' work for
a perceived superior outcome

Plagiarism

4
Why Do Students Plagiarize?
⚫ External Pressure: Influence from parents, friends, or scholarship committees
to maintain high grades
⚫ Lack of Consequences: Absence of punishment or accountability from
instructors or the institution
⚫ Ease of Plagiarism: Perception that copying work is simple and risk-free

5
 History of Plagiarism

Five Historical Moments that Shaped Plagiarism

https://www.turnitin.com/blog/5-historical-moments-that-shaped-plagiarism

Jonathan Bailey, Plagiarism Consultant -- Plagiarism Today

Tuesday 29 January 2019

6
 Plagiarism Spectrum
⚫ The Turnitin identified a Plagiarism Spectrum of 10 types based on findings
from a worldwide survey of nearly 900 secondary and higher education
instructors.

⚫ Each type has been given an easy-to-remember moniker (signature/symbol)

to help students/researchers better identify and discuss the ramifications
(consequences) of plagiarism in their writing.

http://www.turnitin.com/static/plagiarism-spectrum/
7
 Types of Plagiarism

1. Clone Submitting another's work, word-for-word, as one's own

2. Ctrl+C Contains significant portions of text from a single source

without alterations

Changing key words and phrases but retaining the essential

3. Find-Replace content of the source

4. Remix Rewriting or paraphrasing a source but reusing its structure or

ideas without adequate citation

Borrows generously from the writer's previous work without

5. Recycle citation

http://www.turnitin.com/static/plagiarism-spectrum/ 8
 Types of Plagiarism
Combines perfectly cited sources with copied passages
6. Hybrid without citation

Combining multiple sources into a single paper without

7. Mashup proper citation for each source

Includes citations to non-existent or inaccurate information

8. 404 Error
about sources

Includes proper citations to sources but the paper contains

9. Aggregator almost no original work

10. Re-Tweet Includes proper citation, but relies too closely on the text's
original wording and/or structure

http://www.turnitin.com/static/plagiarism-spectrum/ 9
 Types of Plagiarism

1. Clone Submitting another's work, word-for-word, as one's own

http://www.turnitin.com/static/plagiarism-spectrum/ 10
 Types of Plagiarism

Contains significant portions of text from a single

2. Ctrl+C source without alterations

http://www.turnitin.com/static/plagiarism-spectrum/ 11
 Types of Plagiarism

Changing key words and phrases but retaining the

3. Find - Replace essential content of the source

http://www.turnitin.com/static/plagiarism-spectrum/ 12
 Types of Plagiarism

Rewriting or paraphrasing a source but reusing its

4. Remix structure or ideas without adequate citation

http://www.turnitin.com/static/plagiarism-spectrum/ 13
 Types of Plagiarism

5. Recycle Borrows generously from the writer's previous

work without citation

http://www.turnitin.com/static/plagiarism-spectrum/ 14
 Types of Plagiarism

Combines perfectly cited sources with copied

6. Hybrid passages without citation

http://www.turnitin.com/static/plagiarism-spectrum/ 15
 Types of Plagiarism

Combining multiple sources into a single paper without

7. Mashup proper citation for each source

http://www.turnitin.com/static/plagiarism-spectrum/ 16
 Types of Plagiarism

Includes citations to non-existent or inaccurate

8. 404 Error information about sources

http://www.turnitin.com/static/plagiarism-spectrum/ 17
 Types of Plagiarism

Includes proper citation to sources but the paper

9. Aggregator contains almost no original work

http://www.turnitin.com/static/plagiarism-spectrum/ 18
 Types of Plagiarism

Includes proper citation, but relies too closely on the

10. Re-Tweet text's original wording and/or structure

http://www.turnitin.com/static/plagiarism-spectrum/ 19
https://academic-integrity.uregina.ca/?page_id=59 20
Plagiarism Spectrum 2.0

19
21
 Plagiarism Spectrum 2.0

Inadvertent Plagiarism Computer Code Plagiarism Manual Text Modification

Forgetting to properly cite or quote Copying or adapting source code Manipulating text with the
a source or unintentional without permission from and intention of misleading plagiarism
paraphrasing attribution to the original creator detection software

Student Collusion Self Plagiarism Data Plagiarism

Working with other students on Reusing one’s previously Falsifying or fabricating data or
an assignment meant for published work without proper improperly appropriating
individual assessment attribution someone else’s work

Software-based Text
Source-based Plagiarism Modification
Paraphrase Plagiarism Providing inaccurate or incomplete Taking content written by another
Rephrasing a source’s ideas
information about sources such and running it through a software
without proper attribution
that they cannot be found tool (text spinner, translation engine)
to evade plagiarism detection
Mosaic Plagiarism Contract Cheating
Word-for-Word Plagiarism Weaving phrases and text from Engaging a third party (for free, for
Copying and pasting content several sources into one’s own pay, or in-kind) to complete an
without proper attribution work adjusting sentences without assignment and representing that
quotation marks or attribution as one’s work

22
Why it is Wrong?
❑ According to United States copyright law, the legal copyright owner has the exclusive
right to reproduce, distribute, display, perform, and make derivative copies of the work

❑ Always seek permission before using copyrighted material, ensuring proper

acknowledgment of the original source

23
Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing Requires Citation: Even when putting material into your own words,
you must still cite the original source
True Paraphrasing: Go beyond rewording — make the content almost entirely your
own, using new synonyms and expressions
Use Quotation Marks: Retain exact words from the source only with proper
quotation marks around them
Modify Sentence Structure: Ensure your sentence structure is different from the
source; avoid copying the original flow
Avoid Adding Personal Interpretation: Do not insert your own ideas,
explanations, or assessments when paraphrasing
24
25
 Can you use someone else or your own previous work
without citation?

❑ No, you cannot use someone else’s article, figure, or

presentation without proper citation even if he/she
gave you permission

❑ Cite Yourself: If you created a work for a previous

paper or presentation, and you are using it again,
you must cite your previous work

Harris R.A. (2017). Using Sources Effectively: Strengthening Your Writing and Avoiding Plagiarism,4th Edition. Los
Angeles, California: Routledge Publishers.
26
How to “borrow” from the works of others in your work!

Use the following three Strategies

❑ Quoting
❑ Paraphrasing
❑ Summarizing

Blending source materials in your own thoughts—making sure your

own voice is heard With Proper Citation

27
Strategies to Paraphrase
❑ Use synonyms for all words that are not generic. Words like world,
food, design, model, or science are so basic to our vocabulary that is
difficult to find a synonym
❑ Change the structure of the sentence
❑ Change the voice from active to passive and vice versa
❑ Change clauses to phrases and vice versa
❑ Change parts of speech

28
 Clauses and Phrases
 A clause is a related group of words that have both a subject and a verb
 An independent clause can stand alone in a sentence
 A dependent clause cannot stand alone in a sentence. It must be joined with an
independent clause to form a sentence
Examples of Clauses
1. When I reached home (dependent)
2. The doors were opened (independent)
3. Put it down (independent)

 A phrase is a related group of words that do not have a subject and a verb
Examples of Phrase
1. The girl with long hair (noun phrase)
2. Is singing (verb phrase)
3. Very loudly (adverb phrase)
4. In the school (prepositional phrase)

29
 Strategies to Paraphrase
Example 1: Use synonyms for all words that are not generic

Original Acceptable Paraphrase #1 Acceptable Paraphrase #2

Like drought, excess rainfall and Used Synonyms Changed Sentence Structure
flooding can also contribute to An extreme rainfall can also When there is extremerainfall,two
epidemics of waterborne be a factor in spreading situations can occur: sewers
infectious diseases, in this case infectious diseases carried can overflow and water can
due to poor sanitation resulting by water, usually as a result of become polluted by the
from runoff from overwhelmed overflowing sewers and presence of livestock, both of
sewage lines or the pollution from farm animals which can lead to outbreaks of
contamination of water by (Shuman, 2010). waterborne diseases (Shuman,
livestock. 2010).

Shuman, E.M.D. (2010). Global

climate change and infectious
diseases. New England Journal of
Medicine; 362, 12, 1061-1063.

30
https://integrity.mit.edu/handbook/academic-writing/avoiding-plagiarism-paraphrasing
 Strategies to Paraphrase
Example 2: Change the structure of the sentence

Original Acceptable Paraphrase

Current political and economic incentives favor industry and Changed Voice and Changed Parts
other interest groups at the expense of health: consider the of Speech
subsidies paid for corn-based agriculture and mass- Researchers pointed out that in
produced processed foods, the tobacco revenue generated attempting to implement economic
in countries with a government-owned tobacco industry, growth, industry is often favored over
industrial growth in the face of environmental pollution, and health: government may subsidize
the spread of the sedentary automobile-and-television certain forms of agriculture and food
culture. production, contribute to tobacco
consumption in nations where it
Venkat Narayan, K.M., Ali, M.K., and Koplan, J. (2010). Global owns the industry and otherwise
noncomunicable diseases – where worlds meet. The New promote growth of industries that
England Journal of Medicine, 363; 13. 1196-1198. pollute. (Venkat Narayan et al., 2010).

31
https://integrity.mit.edu/handbook/academic-writing/avoiding-plagiarism-paraphrasing
 Strategies to Paraphrase
Example 3: Change Clause to Phrase
Original Acceptable Paraphrase
The prevalence and impact of non-communicable diseases Changed Clause to Phrase
continue to grow. Chronic diseases account for 60% of all The increasing spread of non-
deaths worldwide, and 80% of these deaths occur in low-or communicable diseases can be
middle-income countries, where the toll is disproportionate seen in figures that show these
during the prime productive years of youth and middle age. diseases are responsible for 60% of
all deaths on the planet, and that in
Venkat Narayan, K.M., Ali, M.K., and Koplan, J. (2010). Global countries where the population is
noncomunicable diseases – where worlds meet. The New primarily of low or middle income,
England Journal of Medicine, 363; 13. 1196-1198. the impact is greatest, often focusing
on those who are young or middle-
aged (Venkat Narayan et. al, 2010).

▪ A clause is a group of words with a subject-verb unit

▪ A phrase is a group of words without a subject-verb unit

32
https://integrity.mit.edu/handbook/academic-writing/avoiding-plagiarism-paraphrasing
 Strategies to Paraphrase
Example 4: A good paraphrase combines multiple strategies: the goal is to rephrase
the information so that it appears in your words, not those of the author.
Original Acceptable Paraphrase #1 Acceptable Paraphrase #2
We do not yet understand Siegel (1986) writes that although Siegel (1986) writes that the relationship
all the ways in which brain the relationship between brain between the chemicals in the brain and our
chemicals are related to chemistry and thoughts and thoughts and feelings remains only partially
emotions and thoughts, but feelings is not fully understood, we understood. He goes on to say, however, that
the salient point is that our do know that our psychological one thing is clear: our mental state affects our
state of mind has an state affects our physical state. bodily state.
immediate and direct effect What did the writer do? What did the writer do?
on our state of body. • Used synonyms • Used synonyms
• Changed sentence structure • Changed the sentence structure (use two
Siegel, B. (1986). Love, • Changed voice sentences instead of one)
Medicine and Miracles (p. • Cited source • Changed voice
69). New York: Harper and • Changed parts of speech
Row. Words like brain are generic and • Cited source
do not need to be changed.
Words like brain and chemicals are generic
and do not need to be changed.
33
https://integrity.mit.edu/handbook/academic-writing/avoiding-plagiarism-paraphrasing
 Strategies to Paraphrase
Example 5: Unacceptable Paraphrase
Original Unacceptable Paraphrase #1 Unacceptable Paraphrase #2
We do not yet understand Siegel (1986) writes that we still do not know According to Siegel (1986), our mind
all the ways in which brain all the ways in which brain chemistry is affects our body quickly and directly,
chemicals are related to related to emotions and thoughts, but the although we do not yet understand
emotions and thoughts, but important point is that our mental state has every aspect of how brain chemicals
the salient point is that our an immediate and direct effect on our relate to emotions and thoughts.
state of mind has an physical state.
immediate and direct effect Why is this unacceptable?
Why is this unacceptable? • Although the writer has changed the
on our state of body.
• The writer has kept the same exact structure of the sentence, key phrases
sentence structure have been taken directly from the
Siegel, B. (1986). Love, • The writer had only substituted synonyms original.
Medicine and Miracles (p. in certain places; in others the wording is • Even though the writer mentions the
69). New York: Harper and the same as that of the original. original source in the introductory
Row. • Even though the writer mentions the phrase, the result is plagiarism.
original source in the introductory phrase,
the result is plagiarism.

34
https://integrity.mit.edu/handbook/academic-writing/avoiding-plagiarism-paraphrasing
 The Assimilator
"I love using everyone else's work... and
not accrediting at all".
The best villain there is haha!

https://www.londonmetsu.org.uk/advice/heroes_villains/plagiarism/
35
 Why has Plagiarism Increased?
Intentional or Unintentional

Retrieved From: https://www.accreditedschoolsonline.org/resources/preventing-plagiarism/

❑ According to a Forbes Survey report (2023), Educators Battle Plagiarism as 89% of Students Admit To Using
OpenAI’s ChatGPT For Homework

36
Prevent Plagiarism
Identify Unoriginal Content
Utilize the world’s most effective plagiarism detection tool to ensure accuracy by
comparing work against internet sources, academic publications, and student
submissions.

Ensure Academic Integrity

Highlight similarities to address potential misconduct and promote ethical research
practices.

http://www.turnitin.com/ 37
How Does Turnitin’s “Originality Check” Work?

Turnitin maintains a comparison database that is comprised of:

❑ Current and archived web content that is publicly available

❑ Books, newspapers, and journals (through its partnerships with publishers,
library databases, digital reference collections, and subscription-based
publications)
❑ Student papers submitted to Turnitin

Turnitin cannot identify incidents of plagiarism. Nor can it prove that a

student has not plagiarized

It can only create Originality reports that show the degree of similarity between a
submitted assignment and sources of content within the database

38
 Similarity Report of Turnitin

❑ The color of the report icon indicates the

similarity score of the paper, based on the
amount of matching or similar text that was
uncovered.

❑ The percentage range is 0% to 100%.

❑ The possible similarity ranges are:

Blue No matching text

Green One word to 24% matching text
Yellow 25-49% matching text
Orange 50-74% matching text
Red 75-100% matching text

39
Two Sample Reports Generated by Turnitin

40
Another Sample Report Generated by Turnitin

41
 Identify Plagiarism

Improve your skill to know more about Plagiarism

by playing the following game

https://www.lycoming.edu/library/plagiarism-game/

42
 Useful Links

1. https://rockethics.psu.edu/everyday-ethics/resources-to-help-you-better-understand-and-
avoid-plagiarism

2. https://guides.library.ucsc.edu/citesources/plagiarism

3. https://writing.colostate.edu/guides/teaching/plagiarism/students.cfm

4. https://libguides.wwu.edu/c.php?g=308470&p=2061540

5. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/plagiarism

6. https://guides.emich.edu/c.php?g=187953&p=1241353

7. https://guides.library.ucmo.edu/c.php?g=141935&p=929106

43
Thank You For your Patience

Stop Plagiarism: Simply Create or GiveCredit

https://www.perspective-collective.com/stop-plagiarism/ 44